Naruto:Shikamaru Nara
| dub = | birth = September 22 | gender = | age = Part I: 12-13 Part II: 15-16 | height = Part I: 150.8 cm-152.1 cm Part II: 170 cm | weight = Part I: 42 kg-42.9 kg Part II: 53.4 kg | blood = AB | bijuu = | class = | occup = Proxy Commander of Fourth Division of the Allied Shinobi Forces | affil = | partner = | clan = | rank = Chūnin | number = 012611 | acad = 12 | chunin = 12 | jutsu = Formation Ino–Shika–Chō Portable Water Field (Anime only) Shadow Gathering Technique Shadow Imitation Shuriken Technique Shadow Imitation Technique Shadow Sewing Technique Shadow–Neck Binding Technique | tool = Chakra Blades Flash Bomb Tantō Wire Strings | family = (father) (mother) }}Shikamaru Nara (奈良シカマル, Nara Shikamaru) is a major supporting character of the series. He is a chūnin-level shinobi of 's and a member of . Along with his team-mates, he makes up the new generation of Ino–Shika–Chō, just like their fathers were before them. Background Shikamaru was born into the Nara clan to and . He has a long-standing friendship with . They met even before joining the , when others ridiculed Chōji for his weight, Shikamaru too abandoned the game and ended up hanging out with Chōji instead. Because of the kindness Shikamaru has always shown him, Chōji is unwavering in his loyalty to him, and will gladly give his life for Shikamaru. Once they entered the Academy, Shikamaru and Chōji were among their classes' dead-lasts, along with and , spending their day pursuing what they deemed to be more interesting pastimes. In Shikamaru's case, he would spend all day sleeping; to Shikamaru, even the very effort of putting pen-to-paper was just too much effort for him to put into it unless he had to. , their instructor, would give them all the same lecture. Personality As a genin, Shikamaru Nara was the sort of unenthusiastic kid who liked to watch clouds. He preferred not to get involved in "troublesome" activities, pretending to be busy to avoid responsibility. He also does not like fighting, deeming it, as he does to most things, "troublesome". He is fully aware of this side of his personality. He even named himself "the number one at running away" or "the number one coward". In fact, his most commonly used phrase is [[w:c:naruto:How Troublesome and What a Drag|"how troublesome" in the Japanese version, and "what a drag" in the English version]]. However, when duty calls, Shikamaru has a strong moral compass and sense of commitment towards his comrades. Even though, by his own testimony, he lacks bravery, he will sacrifice himself and face almost certain death, for the sake of his friends and/or villagers without a second thought. Because of his raw leadership skill, he was the first genin from the Rookie Nine to become a chūnin. The weight of the decisions he must make as a chūnin and, thus, team leader have caused Shikamaru to mature rapidly. This was most evident after the death of Asuma. He vowed to protect and later mentor Asuma's child, so that the child could grow up to be a "cool adult" like Asuma. Shikamaru's sense of duty and commitment to the future of his village is also reflected in his willingness to enforce Konoha 11's recent decision to stop at all costs, even in the face of potential objections on behalf of the original members of Team 7. is Shikamaru's best friend. He respects and trusts him. He said that if he had to fight Chōji in the Chūnin Exams he would give up. After he left Chōji to fight , he told the rest of the team that Chōji is stronger than anyone else in this team. Shikamaru enjoys playing thinking games, that older men are usually into, such as shōgi and Go (his teacher, Asuma, even said at one point "That kid is like an old man. He likes to take things slowly."). Shikamaru's most distinctive character trait is that he considers most women bossy and "troublesome", particularly , his mother and Ino. He usually defines them as aggressive, demanding, and sometimes even scary. Given his mother's tyrannical personality, this isn't too surprising. However, his father shares the exact same attitude, even though he married Yoshino in the first place. When Shikamaru questioned his father about why he would marry such a domineering woman, his father responded that even the toughest woman will show her gentle side to the man she loves.Naruto chapter 182, page 9 Nevertheless, Shikamaru is generally courteous to women, doing them favours and avoiding fights with them. He feels that men, like him, should be the ones protecting them and not the other way around. Despite the latter point, he almost exclusively fought against women during Part I of the manga, albeit because of circumstances that were mostly out of his control. He has expressed a notably mature and modest interest in marriage and raising a family. He hopes to "marry a regular girl who isn't too ugly and not too pretty. Have two children, first a girl, then a boy. Retire after my daughter is married and my son becomes a successful ninja, and spend the rest of my life playing shōgi or Go. Then die of old age before my wife."Naruto chapter 119, page 7 Shikamaru has also shown a little devious side. When he gets food for Chōji while he's in the hospital during the Chūnin Exams, the nurse tells him that Chōji has indigestion and that he can't have food. So, Shikamaru goes to Naruto's room to give him the food. When Naruto tells Shikamaru he wants to eat it in front of Chōji to annoy him, Shikamaru states "That is so mean… I like it." Appearance To further emphasise his personality, Shikamaru is regularly seen with a lazy or irritated expression. He has fairly long jet black hair tied in a spiky ponytail, narrow brown eyes, and has both ears adorned by earrings, which were given to him, and the other members of Team 10 by himself. During Part I, his attire was rather plain, consisting of a green lined mesh T-shirt under a short sleeved grey jacket with green edges, adorned on both the sleeves and the back with a circle with a line through it, his blue forehead protector worn around his left arm, brown pants, and blue sandals. After his promotion to chūnin, he also wore a flak jacket over his outfit. During Part II, he has grown noticeably taller. His hairstyle remains the same, but he changed his earrings from rings to studs. He has also undergone a costume change, and among the members of , he is the only one to sport an attire more mirroring the standard 's one: he retains his flak jacket, along with a black long sleeved shirt paired with matching pants and sandals, and green lined mesh armour on his wrists and ankles. The placement of his headband is the same as before, but only the metal part is visible, seemingly sewn onto the shirt itself. He is also equipped with a chūnin's tantō, horizontally strapped onto the back of his flak jacket via a brown strap. During the second part of the Hidan and Kakuzu Arc, he had a belt with some bags attached to it around his waist. Abilities Shikamaru is a highly skilled shinobi, attested to by him being the first of his peers to be promoted to the rank of chūnin.Naruto chapter 172, page 19 Even while he was still a genin in Part I, Shikamaru was among the few shinobi who detected and dispelled Kabuto's sleep-inducing genjutsu.Naruto chapter 117, page 7 In the anime, it was stated that he was offered a position in the , but turned it down in order to stay in Konoha and protect it.Naruto: Shippūden episode 87 In Part II of the anime, he was seen being able to summon objects from scrolls to his advantage.Naruto: Shippūden episode 85 Even though it is not his favourite fighting style, Shikamaru is capable in the usage of close range combat, such as , seen when he attacked Hidan with a punch that came as such a shock to the latter that he could not evade Shikmaru's secondary, shadow attack.Naruto chapter 335, page 17 He has also made use of his tantō to attack Hidan, leaving a gash in the side of his target's neck.Naruto chapter 337, page 3 In the anime, he also showed great skill with close-range combat.Naruto: Shippūden episode 293 Intelligence Shikamaru's greatest trait despite his adolescent age is his mental capacities, most noticeably as a strategist and tactician; great enough to outsmart an entire squadron of chūnin and jōnin-level shinobi. While Asuma often played shōgi against Shikamaru, Asuma noted that he had never actually managed to beat him. Asuma became suspicious upon realising that Shikamaru was so good at these strategy-based board games, despite his abysmal grades in the Academy. As a result, Asuma administered an IQ test disguised as a game to Shikamaru, which revealed that Shikamaru's intelligence was beyond that of a normal genius, with an IQ of over 200 which is regarded as immeasurable intelligence.Naruto chapter 107, page 14 His intelligence has earned praise from the likes of , who himself is also considered a genius,Naruto chapter 332, page 3 and Tobi, who considers him a regrettable to be an opponent.Naruto chapter 537, page 12 In the anime, — who is also noted for her intelligence — once stated that Shikamaru was the smartest person in the . Taking advantage of his normally calm nature, Shikamaru rarely loses his composure, able to make accurate choices during intense moments. Surprisingly astute for his age, he is highly aware of his surroundings and able to see through most deceptions. His intelligence is also highly adaptable, regularly using it out-think his opponents, even manipulate them into a pre-set trap with various misdirections. Shikamaru is very resourceful, able to use the most random of tools to his advantage. His analysis doubles as a way for him to avoid a fight, or at least minimise injuries for himself or his allies. From these traits, Shikamaru is able to easily focus on all data acquired to quickly and effectively analyse the situation to discern how an opponent's techniques works, devise counters, anticipate enemy actions, and quickly form effective plans; the pinnacle of his focus is commonly seen from his habit of putting his fingers together to create a circle and closing his eyes. After doing this he can quickly think ten moves ahead of his opponent with over a hundred strategies ready to be used, but his real skill is choosing the best one.Naruto chapter 324, page 17 Likewise, he can easily adjust or switch to an alternate plan at a moment's notice. Because of his intelligence, Asuma believes that Shikamaru could become if he weren't so lazy.Naruto chapter 328, page 8 He is nevertheless given his share of responsibilities, such as helping the Fifth Hokage formulate defensive strategies''Naruto: Shippūden'' episode 66 and being made the Proxy Commander of the in the .Naruto chapter 515, page 17 Ninjutsu Nara Clan Techniques Shikamaru's primary supporting move is the Shadow Imitation Technique. Later, he learned the Shadow–Neck Binding Technique, which allows him to physically harm his opponent by means of a shadow hand. After the time-skip, Shikamaru also learned the Shadow Sewing Technique. This is more of an offensive technique, as his shadow can now act almost as a set of tentacles, leaping and twisting out of the air to attack multiple targets. He also has the ability to simultaneously use all of his techniques in astonishing co-ordination. Using this technique on Ino's unconscious body after she used the Mind Body Switch Technique, he is able to counter an attack from behind with ease to protect his team mate. Shikamaru also inherited Asuma's Chakra Blades after his teacher was killed. He learned to use them in tandem with his clan's abilities, and created the Shadow Imitation Shuriken Technique. This allows him to "pin" his shadow on an opponent, without the need of the Shadow Imitation Technique, giving him far greater range, flexibility, and the ability to move. Shikamaru can also use the Shadow Gathering Technique which allows him great control over his shadow allowing him to pick up and throw tools, or pull in other objects. It can be used to grab multiple objects like explosive tags, and attach them to a trapped opponent. Stats References }}